Video: 2010 Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Grady Davis

In the same year that GM was formed in Flint, Michigan and the competition’s Model T went into production, Grady Davis was born. On his way to making some automotive history of his own, Grady moved from the oil fields of Texas, through the ranks of the Gulf Oil Corporation to eventually become the Executive Vice-President. A chance meeting in a parking lot with racing legend Donna Mae Mims led to a friendship with Don Yenko, and a racing partnership that would eventually become Corvette’s first corporately sponsored team.

Realizing the value of the track as the ideal testing facility for lubricants and fuels, Grady was a true pioneer of Corvette racing, working unofficially with Zora Arkus-Duntov to improve the car and the fluids that went into it. Their work resulted in both A Production class, and B Production class SCC A championships. Altogether, his 1962 Corvette won 12 out of 14 races, making it one of the most successful single Corvette race cars in history.

Grady Davis passed away at the age of 87, leaving behind his own indelible mark on the Corvette racing legacy.